Dr. Robert Bullard (Opening Keynote)

Dr. Robert Bullard will open the 2015 National Walking Summit with his keynote address, “Is Walking a Right?” Robert D. Bullard is often described as the father of environmental justice. Professor Bullard received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University. He is the author of eighteen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth, and regional equity. He has testified as an expert witness and served as a technical advisor on hundreds of civil rights lawsuits and public hearings over the past three decades. In 1990, he was the first environmental justice scholar to receive the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Conservation Achievement Award in Science for “Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality.”

Dr. Bullard’s works include his book, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality, which is a standard text in the environmental justice field. His most recent books include Highway Robbery: Transportation Racism and New Routes to Equity, Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice, and Regional Equity, and The Black Metropolis in the Twenty-First Century: Race, Power, and the Politics of Place. His latest books include Race, Place and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to Reclaim, Rebuild, and Revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Environmental Health and Racial Equality in the United States: Strategies for Building Just, Sustainable and Livable Communities, and The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the Government Response to Disaster Endangers African American Communities.